Ladder for railway-cars.



W. E; WILLIAMS. LADDER FOR RAILWAY CARS.

' Patented Apr. 14, 1914.

NIT

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LADDER FOB RAILWAY-CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented Apr. 14k, 191%.

Application filed August 28, 1913. Serial No. 787,123.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM ERASTUS WILLIAMS, a citizen of the United States,

residing in Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, with a post-oifice address at 831 South Clinton street, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Ladders for Railway-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

My ladder is especially useful for railway cars, but may be used for other purposes.

The object of my invention is to produce the cheapest and safest ladder possible, with the least material, and in a form that will furnish the least surface for corrosion, and at the same time provide a ladder that will have no harsh, angular corners that endanger the hands and limbs of the men who are compelled to climb them.

Ladders are being used made of metal having the stiles made of angle, channel, and rectangular shapes, which are not good shapes to grasp by a man climbing a car, and these shapes are necessary in other forms of metal ladders, in order to fasten the rails or rounds of the ladder to the stiles. When rectangular, angle, or channel sections are used for stiles, it is necessary to use more metal in the stiles to get a sufficiently strong ladder than is the case with my invention, since the means used with those sections for fastening the rails or rounds to the stiles require a considerable surface through which to punch holes for bolts or rivets, or for threading through the rounds. With my invention no holes, bolts or rivets are needed, and I can use the least metal and in the most desirable shape.

Reference will be had to the accompanying drawing in which,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a corher of a car, with my ladders attached. Figs. 2 and 3 are details showing a construction for the foot of the ladder differing from that shown in Fig. 1. r

In the drawing C indicates a box car to which the ladder is attached, F step at the bottom, S the stiles or side rods of the ladder, It the plain rungs, and G the rungs on which are provided the lugs L for fastening to the car. The rungs G are of a common form, used for making ladders, and are sometimes-called grab irons. The stiles b and rungs R and Gr are welded together at IV where they cross each other, and thus the parts are integral. This welding is done preferably by electricity, but may be done by other means. I prefer to use round sections of metal of substantially the same size as has heretofore been used in the grab irons, both for my rungs and for the stiles.

It has been the custom to make the foot piece a separate piece, as is shown at H in Figs. 2 and 3, and I may do so if it is desired. But I prefer to use a piece I of similar section as the rails or rungs, and carry down my stiles in a loop as it were at the bottom, and then weld them together with the filler blocks J to form the foot piece F. lhis arrangement adds to the general safety of the entire ladder and foot piece, as all the fastenings of the ladder to the car contribute to hold all the parts to the car. By welding the stiles to the piece J of the foot, I am permitted to make the piece J out of smaller sections than is permissible with the form I-I shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and yet have less metal and a stronger step. At the top I carry my stiles over on to the roof and weld them to the rail K which is located in the position formerly occupied by the top grab iron. At the eaves of the roof, I provide some lugs M welded to the stiles for fastening the ladder to the car at this point.

It is customary now to provide a ladder at the side and at the end of the car, and I have shown the two connected at the top. I extend the top N of one of the stiles S beyond the rail K, and fasten it to the roof at P. To this section of N of the stile S I fasten by welding the ends 0 of the stiles of the end ladder.

I may dispense'entirely with the fastenings P and Q on the top of the roof, and thus save any injury to the roof by these contacts. I then rely on the projecting ends of the stiles to sustain the roof rungs.

I arrange my stile rods outside of the rounds or rails R and G in order that outward strain upon the rungs may have little tendency to tear it from the stile rods.

What I claim is:

In a ladder, a single rod doubled to form two stiles and a pendant stirrup, of a series of rungs welded to said stiles and having scribed my name in the presence of two subtheir end portions bent inward and fixed t0 scribing Witnesses, on this 23rd day of Anthe car, and a second short stirrup registergust 1918. ing With the first rigidly connected thereto and having its branches terminally fixed t0 WVitnesses: the car. JULIUS JENSEN,

In witness whereof I have hereunto sub- MARIE JENSEN.

WILLIAM 'ER ASTUS WILLIAMS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

